Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), a leading wholesale open-access fibre infrastructure provider and part of the Maziv group, has invested over R800 million to upgrade and future-proof its national fibre network. This significant investment aims to meet the growing demand for reliable, high-speed internet across South Africa.
The upgrades have already yielded measurable results. DFA has improved the average number of new circuits delivered from 800 to 1,500 per month, with a record of nearly 2,000 new connections in a single month. The company is also enabling higher line speeds and increasing available capacity to meet the changing needs of its customers.
DFA’s network spans over 15,000 kilometres, with approximately 40% of the infrastructure located in Gauteng, where the company experienced the bulk of its challenges. Despite these challenges, DFA has maintained a national uptime of over 99.5%, even during high-incident periods, and is currently performing at an exceptional 99.99% uptime.
The company’s Chief Technology Officer, Andreas Uys, stated that DFA is focused on reducing delivery times while maintaining high-quality service. The target for this year is to deliver up to 2,500 connections per month. With the new architecture supported by a recently consolidated project management office, DFA could potentially deliver fibre connectivity to buildings already on its network within 14 days, and to non-connected buildings within 55 days.
This investment follows DFA’s R400 million Dry Underground Distribution Cabinet network enhancement project launched in 2023, which focused on stabilising and future-proofing the company’s network infrastructure. The latest upgrades have resulted in a 40% improvement in new circuit delivery times and a 100% improvement in the mean time to repair (MTTR) where the new architecture is operational.
DFA’s commitment to enhancing its network infrastructure underscores its dedication to providing reliable, high-speed internet connectivity across South Africa, supporting the country’s digital transformation and economic growth.
Sources:
- DFA spends over R800 million on major network upgrades
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/fibre/580182-dfa-spends-over-r800-million-on-major-network-upgrades.html - DFA pumps funding into national fibre network upgrades
https://www.itweb.co.za/article/dfa-pumps-funding-into-national-fibre-network-upgrades/KPNG878N4wmq4mwD - DFA invests R800m in network infrastructure upgrades
https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/dfa-invests-r800m-in-network-infrastructure-upgrades-2025-01-28 - DFA Invests R800m to Strengthen National Fibre Network
https://www.techafricanews.com/2025/01/28/dark-fibre-africa-invests-r800m-to-strengthen-national-fibre-network/ - DFA Invests Over R800 Million to Strengthen and Future-Proof National Fibre Network
https://www.businesstechafrica.co.za/investments/2025/02/04/dfa-invests-over-r800-million-to-strengthen-and-future-proof-national-fibre-network/
